Did you think about volunteering on deck at the U.S. Olympic Team Trails - Swimming, presented by Lilly, to carry the swimmers' baskets? As fun as this opportunity can be, it takes more than just raising your hand to get in on the action.

Starting in 2023, the Center Grove Aquatic Club (CGAC) in Johnson County Indiana brought the basket carrier program to life by spreading the news to local swim clubs in the community, and from there, invitations were sent. CGAC developed an application portal aimed for coaches, teachers and local community partners in the state of Indiana to nominate two young adults who could use their leadership skills to spearhead the program. The roles required strong leadership, responsibility, a passion for swimming, and a commitment to full availability every day of Olympic Trials. The ages ranged from 13 to 18, and the most obvious task at hand would be to support the Trials athletes by carrying their baskets to and from the competition pool.

“We wanted them to show enthusiasm for the sport, and to be prepared to take the basket carrying experience back to their club or team and raise more excitement about swimming,” says Kaitlin Smith, Head Fundamental Coach of CGAC.

By February of this year, the application portal was closed and the committee chairs spent hours looking through applications and selecting nominees who demonstrated a love for the sport and how they currently impacted their program. By March, families of the selected nominees were notified that they could serve in the role as a carrier during Trials. 105 carriers were selected.

Three separate training events were provided for the carriers. In April, both the parents and the carriers met for outfitting measurements, credential pictures, general practice, team placement, leader qualities and parent education. The second training, in June, was held at Lucas Oil Stadium where the carriers toured the facility and the basket carrier area, practiced their roles, and received their outfitting collection. The final training was a TV test event and a final practice of the carriers executing their job.

All of the basket carriers are from the state of Indiana. “This group of kids is remarkable. They are extremely hard workers, passionate about the sport, want to serve their heroes well, and are excited to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity,” says Smith.

Congratulations to the following teams for representing a basket carrier at the 2024 Olympic Trials:

Archway Swim Club, 

Avon Community Swim Team

Avon Swim Club

Azionaqua

Boilermaker Aquatics

Boonville Dolphins

Boys and Girls Club

Brownsburg Swim Club

Cardinal Community

Swim Club and Team

Carmel Swim Club

Cathedrial High School

Center Grove Aquatic Club

Club Olympia

Crown Point Swim Club

Donner Swim Club

Fishers Area Swim Team

Flashes Aquatics

Golden Goggles Recipient

Greenfield Central 

Aquatic Club

Greenwood Swim Club

Indiana Swim Club

Jaguar Aquatic Club

Lawerence Swim Team

LOC

Michiana Marlins 

Swim Club

Nobelsville Swim Club

Oak Hill Swim Club

Plainfield Community 

Aquatics

Purdue Poleytechnic 

High School

Riverside Aquatic Club

Riverside Aquatics

Seascope Inc.

Seymour Swim Club

Sigma Gamma Rho

Southside Indy Aquatics

Sugar Creek Swim Club

Terre Haute Torpedos

Warrior Swim Club

Washington Township 

Swim Club

Yorktown Swim Club

Zionsville Swim Club